Bless Me, Ultima

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Summary: The Best Chicano Book Ever!!
Review: When I first heard of this book by my teacher, I decided to read it for my AP English class; & I couldn't put it down later!! That's how good it was! This is a great book if you want to learn a bit more about the Mexican- American culture & its religious influence. I encourage everybody to read it. Its funny and ENCHANTING!!

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Summary: An intriguing story of a boy forced to become a man too soon
Review: The Deep Thoughts of a Seven-Year-Old Bless Me, Ultima, a novel by Rudolfo A. Anaya, has many clashing elements. These includes conflicts between child and parent, Catholicism and Voodoo, and boy and man. These conflicts revolve around a young boy named Antonio, his family, and an old lady called Ultima. One conflict in the story is parent versus child, pertaining to the parents' dreams for their children. Antonio's father hopes his three oldest sons, Leon, Eugene, and Andrew will work with him on the highway until he can move the family to California. However, after returning home from fighting in World War I, Leon, Eugene, and Andrew realize that they no longer belong in their home town. Antonio and his mother are involved in a controversy over Antonio's future occupation. She dreams that he will become a priest. Antonio accepts this, but throughout the story he questions his faith, especially when his first communion does not turn out like he expected. Antonio's questions about his faith lead to the conflict between Catholicism and Voodoo. Antonio was raised praying at the Virgin's feet, but when Ultima comes to live with his family, he is introduced to a darker religion. He sees Ultima cast an evil spell from his uncle. An owl that watches over Ultima pecks out the eye of an enemy. These events lead Antonio to question why God could not heal his uncle and why an evil man goes unpunished while a good man dies. Antonio is confused even more when two of his friends tell him a tale about a god who was turned into a golden carp. When he actually sees this golden carp he believes the tale, but is tormented because Catholicism says he should have no other gods other than God. The main conflict in this novel is the one of boy versus man. Antonio is a young seven- year-old boy who is dealing with adult issues. He sees men murdered, a horrible sight for anyone to witness. He is questioning his religion, something many people do not face till later in life, and he is trying to determine who he wants to be, another issue many do not have to deal with till they are much older. Overall, this young boy is facing situations he should not have to face for many years, and is being forced to become a man long before his time. This book is considered a western, however, it is very different from the typical Louis L'Amour novels or John Wayne movies. In most westerns, religion is overlooked, but in this novel, religion is a very important aspect. Instead of a story about a shoot-'em-up cowboy, this is a story of a young Mexican boy in New Mexico following World War I. Antonio's father regards California as the traditional get-rich-quick west, because he is living the hard life of a pioneer in New Mexico. Bless Me, Ultima is an interesting book which will cause the readers to ask questions. If you have an interest in voodoo, this book will give you some insight on the subject. If you are questioning your own faith, it is possible that Antonio will address some of your questions, although answers may not be provided. Overall, Anaya has written an engrossing novel that depicts the dreams, questions, and events in the life of seven-year-old forced to grow up too soon.

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Summary: The supernatural world in the Southwest
Review: Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya, is a story of maturation of a young Hispanic American boy named Antonio, during the 1940's. This story, though it sounds fairly straight forward, is anything but average. Bless Me, Ultima mixes the supernatural world and the traditional Catholic ideals. The young protagonist must choose for himself his fate whether to be a priest/farmer and follow his mother's wishes or to become a man of the flesh like his father's people. The boy is torn by his high morals and sins that are occurring around him. The novel tries to answer many of life's moral questions such as this. The author accomplishes this. His mentor and closest friend, Ultima, uses the spiritual world of herbs and medicine to counteract against the evil that had taken place in the small towns in New Mexico. Ultima represents pure goodness and the character named Tenorio is a representation of pure evil. The last "showdown", is the ultimate battle between goodness and evil, like in the book of Revelations in the New Testament Bible which depicts goodness to ultimately win over evil and the people are saved from the sins of the world. "It is because good is always stronger than evil... The smallest bit of good can stand against all the powers of evil in the world and it will emerge triumphant"(Bless Me, Ultima 98). In many ways, this novel has parallels to the novel The Crucible by Arthur Miller. Much of the novel is spent chasing evil in the form of witches. As in The Crucible, innocent people are accused of witchery because the townspeople were fearful of things they could not understand. Antonio sums up human nature by saying, "I think most of the things we call evil are not evil at all; it is just that we don't understand those things and so we call them evil. And we fear evil only because we do not understand it. When we went to the Téllez ranch I was afraid because I did not understand what was happening, but Ultima was not afraid because she understood-" (248). The accuser who takes revenge against the pure goodness of Ultima takes her life but not her soul. The goodness is left in the form of young Antonio. Evil actions that takes place in the towns of New Mexico included: prostitution, drunkeness, witchcraft, having other gods, and murder. Through maturation Antonio is able to ask himself, must one lose their innocence? "Had I already lost my innocence? How? I had seen Lupito murdered... I had seen Ultima's cure... I had seen the men come to hang her... I had seen the awful fight just now... I had seen and reveled in the beauty of the golden carp! ...How had I sinned?" (165). This is a major theme important to people living in the 20th century. Antonio is witness to all of these sacreligious actions and questions where God is to let these things to happen. He is very unsure of his faith towards God since he sees three deaths, Florence, Narciso, and Lupito. Antonio goes on further on to ask himself, does one gain understanding by losing innocence? His father's answer was simply stated, yet with much truth, "understanding comes with life, as a man grows he sees life and death, he is happy and sad, he works, plays, meets people-sometimes it takes a lifetime to acquire understanding, because in the end understanding simply means having a sympathy for people" (248). How could we make sense of the deaths, though? Three of the towns deaths were beings who were evil: two of the witches who cursed Lucas, and their father Tenorio. As the deaths of the evil were necessary for the end of the witch hunt, the goodness is also believed to die to bring the town back to harmony. According to the Bible, this fight between goodness and evil is predicted to occur at the end of the world. At this time, the believers of the savior will be saved, while the unforgiven go to either Hell or Purgatory. A major question for the working class and Antonio is education help you in life? My answer to how I believe the author would answer this is that school education helps us progress in this world, but only the religion will help you get through the after life. This novel asks the major questions posed in humanity and deals with it in an innocent yet knowledgeable way. Looking through young Antonio's eyes, we can see from the perspective of the innocent what is wrong with our beliefs and in general, our world. Anaya does a fantastic job asking question and answering in his own way some of life's unexplainable happenings. I would recommend this book to everyone, but especially for those looking for answers to why bad things happen and how to overcome them.

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Summary: The book was good. I like it.
Review: The book was over all o quality piece of work. I like it because it deals with the challenges and questions of a yong person like myself. I find myself asking the same questions as Antonio. Also, the plot was relatively interesting and it keeps the reader going most of the time. The descriptions of the Western United States make me want to be there. I love the fact that Ultima saved Antonio's life. Although it was a good book, I cannot give it a 10 because some sections do not keep the reader going on his own will.

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Summary: This book was decent, I would probably recommend it.
Review: This novel by Rudolfo Anaya certainly lived up to the "blessing" part of the title. From the begining of the novel when Ultima came to live with the Marez family to after she died, the supernatural forces were constantly at work. From witches to golden fish to owls that carry souls, the constant reference to the spiritual world sets this novel apart from any other. Don't get me wrong, the novel is excellent, however some of the action which takes place remains beyond believability. Granted the novel is fiction, yet based on that it is representing the life of the Indian culture I found it far fetched. Overall I give it a seven as entertaining and interesting.

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Summary: "Two thumbs up" for a suspense building cultural classic
Review: _Bless Me, Ultima_ is a great book that I would recommend to any reader. Not only does the book keep up an interesting plot, but the reader also learns more about the Chicano culture. Rudolfo Anaya did an excelent job of portraying a story that can relate to people of all cultures and time periods while focusing on the Chicano culture. Antonio, the main character, is the typical college-bound senior who is trying to decide which of life's paths they are going to take. The only difference is that Antonio is only in the third grade. Not only is he making crucial decisions in elementary school, but he is also more mature than many of today's teens. The way that Anaya allows the reader to decide what will happen before it does with foreshadowing through dreams keeps a person interested and awaiting what will happen next. The suspense is continually building with the clashes between social groups and the fine line between his mother and father. The two main social conflicts lie between the farmers and the vaqueros; the Lunas and the Marez. _BMU_ also includes many literary devices but the most common is imagery. Throughout the book, the author paints vivid pictures of the scenery around where the action is taking place. This allows the reader to "be there" while the action occurs. I would strongly recommend this book to any person who wants to read a book that is realistic and explores the gaps between cultures and social classes. I definetly give this book "two thumbs up!"

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Summary: commentary
Review: This book has lots of magic realism. And funny things like kids peeing. The river has presents and a carp. Don't eat the fish.

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Summary: I loved it
Review: I fell in love with this book. It is one of the most moving books that I have ever read in my life. Parts of the book were so funny that I laughed out loud. Even though I was forced to read this book because of an English class, I was very happy to read it and was sorry when it ended.

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Summary: Ultima is a true look at New Mexico
Review: I was born and raised in Northern New Mexico. Whenever new friends ask me what it was like to live here, I tell them to read Bless Me Ultima. Anaya's book is filled with the spiritalism and humor that make life in Northern NM special. His character of Ultima is as real as I have ever read. Perhaps others will read the book and take it as a piece of far-out fiction. However, from reading this book, I know that Rudolfo has experienced the mystery of this sacred area. This book stands head and shoulders above anything else Anaya has done. It is already a classic for Chicano readers and is practically a Bible for those of us who are from the area.

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Summary: Anaya weaves a landscape of healing and memory.
Review: Bless Me, Ultima is a classic tale of growth and fate; heritage and wisdom. Anaya paints a landscape of water,desert and spirit as he shares one boy's longing to understand his purpose in life. The father of Chicano literature offers yet another powerful tale of growth and discovery.